Planetary Health in Rehabilitation: A Call to Arms… and legs, gait aids, and other equipment.

Abstract

Abstract: Sometimes out of necessity and sometimes out of convenience, medicine is wasteful. Resource stewardship is a critical and expanding field for reducing wasteful practices. Numerous international organizations are driving resource stewardship globally, including >20 countries worldwide participating in Choosing Wisely initiatives. However, opportunities for environmental stewardship have been long overlooked. Planetary health, climate action, and environmental stewardship in medicine consider opportunities which offer a co-benefit to the planet while improving or maintaining appropriate patient care across the healthcare continuum, including acute care, transitions in care, and post-acute care, as well as in primary, secondary, and tertiary care settings. As rehabilitation is necessary across all healthcare settings, developing a culture amongst rehabilitation care providers that is conscientious about planetary health is imperative for sustainability of rehabilitation medicine and the health of our planet. We devised a recommendation for Choosing Wisely Canada's planetary health focus: don't dispose of adaptive equipment, mobility devices, orthoses, and prostheses that could be reused or recycled. This brief report discusses 1) why rehabilitation providers should engage with planetary health and climate action; 2) the rationale for the Choosing Wisely Canada Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation planetary health recommendation, and 3) existing avenues and novel opportunities for rehabilitation care providers worldwide to reduce waste in rehabilitation.